Tuesday, January 26, 2010

D.V. is back with answers to your questions. For those not familiar with it, Ask D.V. is where you can ask D.V. a question and I will consult her memoirs so she can in turn, impart some of her considerable wisdom to you.

You can click on the link to the left any time to leave her a question. Here are the latest...

Anonymous said...

Dear DV,
I see you have a lot of work with the elements of the East, can you explain to me the oriental influence in your work and how you combine elements of Eastern and western culture?

D.V. read and re-read The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book. She said; "Some people have their Proust; I have my Pillow Book." She speaks of having had a very strong Kabuki streak, which is obvious in her appearance. She says of her first visit to Kyoto; "Under the pine trees there I felt an element of the centuries as I'd never felt anywhere before in my life.[...]What's extraordinary is the way everything modern fits in with everything old. It's all a matter of combining. There's no beginning or end, only continuity."

Dear DV
I have a question and a wish.

Question: I am working on a very important project with a guy, whom I am very much attracted to; but, he has a girlfriend. What do I do? And how do I know if he likes me?
Wish: I want him to become my boyfriend.
Thanks, signed, Michelle (Sitting and Waiting)

D.V. says...."I believe in love at first sight because that's what it was (when she met her husband Reed). I knew the moment we met that we would marry. I simply assumed that - and I was right. We became friends, as they say."

Bombay Beauty said...

So many questions I want answered. But here's what's on my mind now. How does one maintain serenity when traveling? I love to travel, but find myself easily frazzled by silly things (having to carry an extra bag, or check in when I didn't want to), although I'm completely unperturbed by semi-disastrous events (canceled flight? bad weather? crowds? long queues? all competitive sports and chances to excel...)

Amongst D.V.'s travel disruptions were: Her hotel, the Vier Jahreszeiten, being the location of 14 murders, 3 floors above hers during the Night of the Long Knives (allegedly), the exile of the entire court of Spain to the hotel she was staying at and the outbreak of WWII causing her to cut short her couture fittings in Paris at Chanel and take the last passenger boat out of Europe. None of this seemed to put her off much - she apparently pushed past the Nazis at the Vier Jahretzeiten saying, "Excuse me, excuse me, I've got to get to my bath."

Emily said...

A question and a wish as well;

Will the sadness that I was filled with last year come back when I start school again?
I wish that I will be able to fulfill my self properly creatively and stop this routine of the physical and mental tiredness that school creates within me.

D.V. on school: "It's the one time in my life I've always regretted - fighting my way through the place...And those goddamn gongs! Everyone knew where to go when the gong went off except me, but I didn't know whom to ask. I didn't know anybody, I didn't know anything - I couldn't speak." She stayed for three months and then left for dance school, where she thrived. I find it comforting to know that even the great D.V. went through that.

anna said...

Dear Miss V.
Will I ever finish my PhD?
That is my only wish.

Oh, Anna, this is a hard one. So much so that I had to resort to opening the book at random and seeing what phrase jumped out. Which was; "She was irresistible. Absolutely."

{left photo is the cover of the Sotheby's brochure for the sale of some of her estate, the other credit I don't know.}

Thursday, January 21, 2010

*Ah, Vodianova. As you know, I generally don't concern myself much with supermodels, but since watching this video on CNN a while ago, Natalia Vodianova is possibly the only one I might concern myself with wondering what it's like to be her. From the whole perspective of going from being a poverty stricken child, selling fruit on the street in Russia to where she is now. (And now I also need to experience a Siberian herb sauna.)

*I was amused to see a woman wearing my Alaia boots today. (Obviously they weren't my actual boots, or I would have been more alarmed.) I shoe stalked her for a while, to make sure they weren't just similar, but honestly I could recognise them instantly from across the street by the familiarly awkward gait they gave her. And she was wearing them in the afternoon.

Anyone remember the leopard lady? I saw her in March 2006, The Sartorialist snapped her in February 2007, Alber Elbaz is using her as inspiration for Lanvin pre-fall 2010 and Cathy Horyn writes about it.
My brain may explode.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Uh - oh; I fear I have succumbed to them at last. The snow is being melted away by rain, leaving slush and ice. The morning light in my flat is dark grey blue. Tomorrow I will buy flowers, take my camera out and maybe try to get my hands on whatever issue of Russh magazine is kicking around London these days. Today I will sit comatose on the sofa, drink red wine and watch clips of Play it Again Sam on youtube.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Someone gave me a good, thoughtful question for D.V. recently. If anyone has any more, leave a comment here. I prefer to do a few at a time - an audience with The Oracle happens rarely - and sometimes she sends me away; something about the champagne I proffer being inferior.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

or Department of Social Security = where I'll be headed next if I don't return one pair of these boots.

Insanely high clompy Alaias (resisting the obligatory quote from Clueless) which are comfortable when seated but need intensive training to learn how to walk in (like, as in, my walk = Bambi), make my legs look eighteen yards long and are probably the only Alaia boots I'll ever be able to afford.

Much more wearable See by Chloe ankle boots that I liked at the beginning of the season and will probably wear loads in my real life, rather than my imaginary Alaia wearing life.

Which pair should I keep? (Bonus points for quoting the Clueless line)

Monday, January 04, 2010

Just in case anyone wanted to buy me some jewels, here are some I like.

My wishing powers have been totally on fire lately, so - time to give back. What are you wishing for this year? My biggest wish isn't jewels, or anything that can be bought - those are the trickiest ones. But I'll have a go at cogitating on any wishes you'd like to share in the comments...